Fairfax County, VA Outdoor Lighting: Billboard Lighting (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 7101.1.B
- Standard applied
- Outdoor lighting performance standards (§5109)
- Electronic sign brightness cap
- 100-300 nits, photocell dimmed
- Enforcement
- Zoning Administrator infraction
Summary
Fairfax County requires every illuminated sign, including electronic and billboard-style displays, to meet the same outdoor lighting performance standards the zoning code sets for all other fixtures under Section 5109.
B. Sign Illumination
Illumination of signs must conform to the performance standards for outdoor lighting as set forth in Section 5109.
C. Associated Service Uses
Each associated service use permitted in accordance with Article 4 of this Ordinance is allowed a single building-mounted sign not to exceed 15 square feet in area, which is calculated as part of the total allowable building-mounted sign area for the building.
2. Signs in Residential Districts
A. Signs Allowed in R Districts
The following signs are allowed with approval of a sign permit in an R district (which includes residential areas of P districts per Section 9100):
(1) In a single-family residential subdivision or for a stacked townhouse development, a freestanding sign is
allowed at each major vehicular entrance, not to exceed 30 square feet in area or eight feet in height. More than one sign may be placed at each major vehicular entrance, but the total of all signs at a single vehicular entrance cannot exceed 30 square feet in area. These signs must be subject to an agreement, located within an easement recorded for signage purposes, or on common area located at the vehicular entrance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published.
Full Breakdown
Zoning Ordinance § 7101.1.B states that illumination of signs must conform to the performance standards for outdoor lighting set forth in Section 5109, folding sign lighting into the county's general glare, shielding, and brightness rules rather than giving billboards a separate lighting code. Electronic display signs get an added, more specific cap in § 7101.1.A(4): a required photocell that dims automatically at sunset to 100 nits in residential districts and 300 nits in commercial, industrial, and Planned districts, reduced to 100 nits within 150 feet of a single-family dwelling.
Violations & Fines
A sign whose lighting exceeds Section 5109's outdoor lighting performance standards, or an electronic display without an automatic dimming photocell, is a zoning infraction the Zoning Administrator can order corrected or removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do illuminated signs in Fairfax County follow special lighting rules?
Is there a brightness limit for electronic billboards specifically?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fairfax County
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